In the latest issue of E L Gazette, Liz Granirer looks at how loving a video game can push us to learn English:
Harness a passion for learning a language
For years, parents have been told to limit their kids’ screen time, but maybe that wisdom needs a re-think…
When Renata Mojola was seven, she got hooked on playing PC game Heroes of Might and Magic III. The only trouble was, as she grew up in Brazil, Portuguese is the first language for most people, and the game’s instructions and menus were in English. It was tough going for her to always understand what was required.
Though she was already learning English at school, she wasn’t anywhere near proficient enough to cope with all the language being used in the game. She asked her teacher for help with specific words, and her older cousins were able to explain broadly what she needed to know to play, but it was the game itself and her passion for it that fuelled her English-language acquisition.
“The simplistic storytelling and slow pace of turn-based strategy games gave me the time to figure out key words and understand what effect they had,” she says on the PCGames website. “I learned the basics of grammar at my language school, but it was Heroes of Might and Magic III that taught me most about vocabulary.”
Renata is now a part-time English teacher herself, so the take-away here? If you want to motivate students, get them to harness their language learning to a passion. Oh, and maybe screen time isn’t all bad for kids.
Harness a passion for learning a language | E L Gazette
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A lot of other professionals see it as a good idea:
Learn English Through Video Games - Real English for Gamers
Level Up Your English Skills: The 14 Best Video Games for Learning English | FluentU English
How video games can help you learn English - The London School of English
How Swedish children learn English through gaming
3 Reasons Why Playing Games Helps You Learn English Faster - EnglishClass101.com Blog
Gaming the system: Video gamers learn English while they play - CSMonitor.com
Video games are good for you! | LearnEnglish Teens - British Council
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